Snow or dirt remover



A. ESPOSITO.

SNOW 0R DIRT REMOVER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I, 1921.

Mtemed OCIIJ. 39 11922.,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

LLOOOOQI.

A. ESPOSITO.

SNOW 0R DlRT REMOVER.

APPucATloN man MAR.7,1921.

Patented 0st. 3, 1922 2 SHEETS --SHEET 2.

' Patented @et d. 1922..

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td Nt if if.

ANTONY ESPOSITO, 0F BROGOHL'YN, YEK

SNOW 0R, DIRT REMOVE@- Applieation led March 7, 1921. Serial No. 450,264.

To aZZ whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, ANTONY Esrosrro, a sub'ect of the Kin of Italy, and a resident of rookl n, in t e county of Kings and State of ew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Snow or Dirt Removers, .of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of devices adapted to remove snow, dirt or other material from streets or other1 places and which may either move under its own power or be propelled or drawn by any suitable convenient means.

rllhe principal object of the invention is the production of a novel snow or dirt remover which shall be of simple construction and which shall be so designed as to eectively perform its removing function in a minimum of time and at small expense.

A further object of the invention is the production of a cutter ofV peculiar construction combined with a machine having the above characteristics which cutter shall pref erably be adapted to rotate at a high rate of speed to eectively cut apart or disintegrate the material before removal mthereof.

A further object of the invention is the inclusion in a machine of the above type of a novelform of endless conve er adapted to receive and carry to a suitab e chute and to deposit therein `the material to be re- F ig. 2 is a plan view (partly 1n section) of the machine.

`Fig. 3 is a plan view of the'cutter and support therefor.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken through the cutter and support.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of one of the buckets of the conveyer. l

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Referring in detail to the several figures of which the shafts 4 and 5 respectively are y suitably journalled. Said shafts 4 and 5 each respectively carries a pair of wheels 6 and 7 which constitute the main supporting wheels of the machine. Said wheels are preferably of the tractor type whereby the earth or ground may be readily gripped in the event of its being wet or soft. The rear end of said table is also provided withdownwardly extending side members 8 bolted thereto which are preferably connected together by the transverse supporting member 9 having pivotally or loosely bolted thereto a shaft support 10 in the vertical arms 11 ofwhich a shaft 12 is journalled. Said shaft 12 carries a centrally disposed wheel 13. Connected to the ends of the shaft 12 are links 14 which links are pivotally con-l nected to a rod 15 carried on the lower end of a vertical steering shaft 16 extending upwardly through the table 1 and terminating at its upper end in a steering wheel 17. The manipulation or rotation of said steering wheel will turn the wheel 13 in the desired direction and in an obvious manner whereby the proper direction maybe given to the machine when moving.

18 indicates an engine of any desired type, such as an ordinarygasolene engine, which is mounted on the table 1, the engine shaft being indicated at 19. A. countershaft 20 is journalled in suitable bearings mounted on the table 1 and carries a sprocket 21. Said sprocket 21 and Ea sprocket 22, carried by said engine shaft 19, are interconnected by an endless chain 23. 24 indicates the main driving shaft journalled in bearings of any suitable character which are fastened to the table 1. Said main shaft 24 carries a sprocketL 25 provided with a clutch member adapted to co-operate with a sliding clutch 26 on said shaft which clutch may be actuated and thrown into operative or inoperative position by a clutch lever 27 connected thereto through suitable links as shown. rihe sprocket 25 is connected by an endless chain 28 to a sprocket 29 carried by the countershaft 20. When the engine is running the main shaft 24 may be connected thereto or disconnected therefrom .to e'ecta rotation thereof or to bring 'the same to rest by 34 carried by the shaft 5, said endless chain.,

extending through an opening 34 in the table 1. When the main shaft 24 is rotating and the clutch 31 has been thrown into operative engagement with the clutch member of the sprocket 30, a rotation of the wheels 7 is effected which propels the machine as is manifest.

A vertical shaft 35 extends .downwardly from the machine intermediate the side members 2 and through the opening 34 and is supported in any desirable manner as for linstance in a bearing 35 which may be fastened to said side members. Said shaft carries. on its upper end a bevel gear 36 and on its lower enda sprocket 37. The said bevel gear 36 meshes with a bevel gear 38 of an appreciably larger size carried by. the main driving shaft 24 and which is provided with a clutch member adapted to co-perate with a slidin clutch 39 carried by said shaft 24. Said sli ing clutch may be actuated by means of a lever 40 connected thereto by suitable links as shown whereby the vertical shaft 35 may be operatively connected to or disconnected from the main shaft as desired.

The forward end of the machine is provided with downwardly depending arms 41 which are preferably fastened to extensions 41 of the sides of the table 1 and supporting therebetween adjacent the ground a cutter-support 42 comprising a fiat plate, preferably metallic and of great strength, the forward side and corners of which are grooved as at 43, within which grooves are pivotally mounted the sprockets 44. The said l plate 42 has also preferably mounted in the bottom thereof a plurality of rollers 44. 45 indicates a rearwardly and upwardly extendingv strut member which is preferably integral with the plate 42 and which is bolted or otherwise securely fastened to the side members 2. A rearwardly' extending arm 46 is fastened to the underside of the strut member 45 and is provided with an openin through which the vertical shaft 35 exten s, whereby said arm 46 acts as a support for said vertical Shaft.

My improved cutter comprises an endless chain 47 having fastened to each alternate link thereof a rigid double-pronged member 48 the prongs of which extend outwardl from the chain. The prongs of each a ternate member extend outwardly7 in a straight direction whereby a space of appreciable width obtains intermediate said prongs as shown to the left of Fig. 4. The prongs of the other members which are indicated at 48 in Fig. 4 are bent whereby their pointed lends are brought into parallelism immediately adjacent each other. The chain 47 engages the sprockets 44 of the cutter-support 42- as well as the sprocket 37 on the shaft 35. When the main driving shaftv 24 is rotated and the vertical shaft 35; is operatively connected thereto in the manner heretofore explained the cutter will rotate at a high rate of speed due tothe appreciable difference in size between the bevel 4gears 36 and 38.

49 indicatesupwardly and diagonally eX-' tending side members secured to the sides of the table 1 and which may be, if desired, continuations of the side members 8. Said members 49 are bolted to the top inclined i members 50 which are connected together by a strut 51. The upper ends of said members 50 are provided with adjustable bearings 52 of any suitable construction within which are journalled a shaft 53 carrying adjacent both ends thereof the sprockets 54. Connected to the'lower ends of said inclined members 50 are the vertical arms 55 which may be integral with said members 50 and which are provided with'extensions 56. The lower ends of said vertical arms are fastened to the extensions 41. A chute 57 of any desired construction is bolted to one or both of the upward, diagonal members 49.

58 indicates a shaft journalled in suitable bearings at or near the to 0f the vertical arms 55. Said shaft carries adjacent both ends thereof sprockets 59 connected by endless chains 60 with sprockets 61 which are carried by the main driving shaft 24 adjacent the ends thereof and which are provided with clutch members adapted to cooperate with slidin clutches v62 on the ends of 'said main drivlng shaft. Said sliding clutches 62 may be actuated by a single clutch lever 63 which is connected by suitable. links as shown to said sliding clutches. By means of this construction the shaft 58 may be connected to or disconnected from the main driving shaft to suit varying conditions. The said shaft 58 also carries a pair of sprockets 64 and is provided with a centrally disposed sprocket 65 mounted thereon. The extensions 56 are also provided with sprockets 66 mounted thereon.

67 indicates a shaft journalled in bearings adjacent the lower endof the vertical arms 55 and fastened to said arms. Said shaft is provided with a centrally disposed sprocket 68 mounted thereon which is connected by necting the shaft 58 with v raconta means of the endless chain '69 with the s rocket 65. The shaft 67 has also mounted t ereon adjacent its ends the sprockets 70. 71 indicates my improved endless conveyer chains, one for each side of the machine which pass around the sprockets 5ft and 70 and over the sprockets 64 and 66. The conveyer chains 71 are connected together by a plurality of buckets 7 2 fastened thereto and suitably spaced apart and being provided with toothed edges or blades 73 removably bolted thereto (see Figs. 5 and 6) so that the blades may be replaced if they become damaged or broken.

The operation of the machine is as follows: I v

rllhe engine 18 is started and the maln driving shaft 2t is connected therewith to rotate the same by operation of the clutch lever 27 in the manner previously described. rlhe endless conveyer is then set in operation by conthe main driving shaft by operation of clutch lever 63. rl`his effects a rotation of the said shaft 58 which rotates or revolves the buckets 7 2 around the framework due to the manner in which various parts of the device are interconnected, which has been explained and which will be readily understood. The shaft -5 is then connected to the main driving shaft as hereinbefore described to rotate the wheels 7 whereby the machine will move forwardly. rlihe buckets are brought consecutively into operative position which is reached when they are directly beneath the shaft 67. .de they move from this position they scoop up the material to be removed such, for instance, as snow and carry the material upwardly to the top of the frame. As the material-laden buckets ass over the sprockets 54 the material is umped automatically into the chute 57 which asses the materia to a truckto one'side of the machine.

ln many cases the material to'be removed may be hardened, such as frozen snow, ice or hard dirt. In such cases the rotary cutter is brought into operation by operatively connecting the vertical shaft 35 with the main driving shaft as previously explained. This rotates the cutter at a high rate of speed so that the pronged memberslS, d8 will effectively cutand disintegrate the material so that it ma be easily scooped up by the buckets 72. his cutting of the material is more advantageously e'ected by alernating the shape of the prongs as heretofore explained. The toothed edges 73 of the buckets 72, inasmuch as they are immediately acljacent the plate 42' when the buckets are in operative position, also assist materially inv .the cutting or disintegration of any hardened material to be removed.

My improved machine is 'particularly desirable as the propelling means, endless conveyer and cutter may be connected to the "mediately after it is cut.

main driving shaft independently of one another. ln some cases, for instance, it will be found desirable to stop the machine from moving forwardly momentarily when a particularly hard material has been encountered and to allow the conveyer and cutter to operate alone. advisable to disconnect the conveyer as well and allow the cutter to operate b itself. Still in other cases, for instance w en soft snow or dirt is encountered, the use of the cutter 1s unnecessary and the propelling means and conveyer are operated simultaneously. At times 1t is desirable to operate the propellin means, conveyer and cutter together w ile in still other cases when the machine is brought to or returned from the scene of the work the conveyenand cutterare 4disconnected and the propelling means alone connected.

What l claim as my invention is l.- ln a machine for removing material, a frame, a conveyer mounted on said frame, a driving shaft connected-to said conveyer,

a vertical shaft connected to said driving shaft, a stationary, horizontal plate adjacent the ground connected to said frame, an endless vrotatable member connecting the said plate andthe said vertical shaft, rigid cutting elements fastened to said rotatable member and adapted to cut the material to be removed and buckets fastened to said conveyer and adapted to be brought into operative position 1n close proximity to said cutting elements to receive the material therein immediately after it is cut. 'l

2. ln a machine for removing material, a frame, a conveyer mounted on said frame, a driving shaft connected to said conveyer, a vertical shaft connected to said driving shaft, la sprocket on said vertical shaft, a plate connected to said frame, sprockets mounted on said plate, an endless chain .connecting the sprockets on said plate and the sprocket on said vertical shaft, rigid prongs fastened to said chain and adapted to cut the material to be removed, and buckets fastened to said conveyer and adapted to be brought consecutively into operative position in close proximity to said prongs to receive the material therein im- 3. ln a machine for removing material, a frame, a conveyer mounted on said frame,

a plurality of buckets fastened to said conveyer, a driving shaft for actuating said conveyer whereby said buckets will be brought consecutively into operative position to receive the material therein, a vertical shaft connected to said driving shaft, a sprocket on said vvertical shaft, a plate connected to said frame and provided with grooves therein, sprockets mounted in the grooves in said plate, an endless chain connectin l the sprockets in said plate and the a.: et on ln other casesit will be found l ll it llti) vits said vertical shaft and rigid outwardly extending prongs fastened to said chain and adapted to cut the-material to be removed prior to the reception thereof by said buckets.

4. In a machine for removing material, a frame, a conveyer mounted on said frame, a driving shaft connected to said conveyer, a vertical shaft, means connecting said driving shaft and said Vertical shaft whereby said vertical shaft will rotate at an appreciably greater speed than said drivlng shaft, downwardly extending'side members fastened to said frame, a Vicuttler-support comprising a horizontal plate fastened to said side members and a rotatable cutter connecting said `cutter-support and said vertical shaft, said cutter comprising a chain having prong members' secured thereto.

A5. Ina Ina-chine for removing material, a frame, a driving shaft mounted on said frame, a bevel gear on said driving shaft, conveyer shafts mounted on' said frame, means connecting one of said conveyer shafts'v and said driving shaft, sprockets mounted on said conveyer shafts, endless chains engaging said sprockets, a plurality of buckets fastened to said endless chains York and State of New York this 4th day 4.5

of March A. D. 1921.

ANTONY ESPOSITO. Witnesses:

J oHN RossMAN, RAYMOND Olona. 

